Do Cards fans sufficiently understand what their coach is doing?
by 97E3LPL on Dec 3, 2011 10:07 AM EST
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PrintSome fans: Pitino is too defense oriented. He doesn't build offensive teams. We rely on defense too much.
Me: Bullshit. That's arm-chair coaching, over-the-top nitpicking and, as I believe I will point out after the jump, just really wrong.
First and foremost, let's recheck who we're talking about. Then let's look at this recent grousing and what it really means.
Recheck who we're talking about. As is being written yet again in many an article today, the only coach to lead three different schools to the Final Four is winning these past two seasons despite serious roster challenges. Yes, all teams have injuries, including some worthy of Sportscenter mention (i.e. OSU's Sullinger). As most of us know however, UL's injuries on the whole are at a headline making level.
Swopshire's groin injury never heals. Rakeem Buckles (knee) out for year. Louisville's Blackshear has season-ending injury. Louisville's Marra has season-ending ACL injury. Van Treese Out Indefinitely For UofL Basketball. Louisville PG Siva doubtful with sprained ankle. Louisville injuries just keep piling up. Justice breaks nose. Pitino doesn't build offense? Look at those headlines again; they include starting forwards, 5 star AA recruits, backup centers and point guards in and out (mostly out) of the lineup.
Most pundits would tell you Blackshear is unquestionably a headliner scoring threat. 'Rock', too. And if you don't think so, watch what Rock does at Rupp at the end of this month. Pitino doesn't build offense? Did you see the shot King Kyle make last night - after CRP shouted at him to take the shot - after receiving a low pass in his korner with a great defender's hand in his face? Coach Pitino developed Kuric into quite an offensive threat. This is the kid from southern Indiana over whom many fans pondered why the publicity.
The point is that Coach recruited and built offensive, but simply hasn't gotten to use it yet. And the fact that he has our program off to back to back 7-0 season starts for the first time in history should be enough for fans to stop yapping for a while.
My bottom line: Minimize the nay-saying and negative nit-picking. If you must, be sure to place it in good context, because it seems like there's no pleasing some of you. (Check the Vandy game open thread for complaints just after the win.) Celebrate our successes and focus on the positives.
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As Chris Smith said
“Winning gets you where you want to go”
Have consistant deep runs in the tourney and no one will ever question you.
YES
It’s my new Twitter profile pic but it cut off the L. Can someone smart tell me how to fix that?
Crop some pff the bottom
You don’t really need his feet, right?
"...and the present, for us, is something that we really look forward to."
- Rick Pitino
*off the bottom
Damn, I need new glasses.
"...and the present, for us, is something that we really look forward to."
- Rick Pitino
I think
most of the grumbling stems from the last NCAA tourney departures. Left a bad taste in some mouths. But that happens to all the best programs. Look at Kansas’s history in the Tourney for upsets, as an example. I think CRP’s enduring stamp on this program is increasingly going to be that he develops team-first players that just never quit. They could so easily have rolled over last night down 9 fairly late in the game. Against a plodding half-court team like Vandy, that’s like being down 18. Sure enough, a Freshman and the team’s 2 leaders stepped up and got the win. The defense they played coming down the stretch was some of the best I’ve seen in all the years I’ve watched b-ball. And they did that playing only 7 guys. That’s all conditioning and will to win there. CRP is a master of this game. Period.
by CardsRuleBE on Dec 3, 2011 10:49 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Haters will hate
It’s just what they do.
But, it doesn’t take a genius to see the idiocy in most of the comments you’ll read out there. Last night is a perfect example of the kind of players Rick builds. After the game, a Facebook friend said to me something along the lines of “Louisville better fix their offense before New Year’s Eve or” * insert ’they’ll get run out of Rupp’ wit here *
Funny how most of the blue bitties fail to acknowledge that INJURIES are our problem right now, not offense. With half our team on the shelf and a team that shot well and gave us fits on D — for us to endure that and come back to win that game easily speaks for itself on the type of coach RP is.
If, and yea, it’s a BIG if — but IF the injury bug goes away and our guys can get healthy this team is going to catch fire.
________________________________________________
www.lordkayoss.com
I personally thought last night's game was beautiful
No one is giving either coach the credit they deserve. Kevin Stallings is one of the best in-game X/O coach in the game. Vandy runs one of the most efficient offenses in the nation and is absolutely great when they have the opportunity to call one of his set plays. Keeping them in the 50s during regulation was phenomenal by the Cards. On the flipside, Vandy locked down on defense better than they have all season. They (like all Vandy sports) just don’t have the depth to handle even a depleted Louisville squad.
But really, have any of us ever seen a team play defense like this. How many of you even realized that we played ZONE almost exclusively last night. The thing is the match-up zone Rick has created leaves no one unguarded EVER. This team switches their matchup with such fluidity that you the offense never knows what to expect.
I for one am impressed.
We had some offensive lapses last night
but Vandy played some damned tough defense. They were in our faces all the time. It’s not like our guys were standing around on offense, but the Commodores were moving with them. Constant pressure, challenging everything. I was as impressed with their defense as I was with our tenacity in pulling it out.
And you’re right about the depth. If we only played seven, they only played five – every one of their starters played at least 40 minutes.
"...and the present, for us, is something that we really look forward to."
- Rick Pitino
Dude, we won and that's awesome.
But we do not have an efficient offense. To say you disagree is fine, but to say anyone who says otherwise are negative, nitpickers who don’t understand basketball is flat out not true.
by James Sutherland on Dec 3, 2011 11:36 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
I disagree
People who, after a win, immediately start saying that the team is awful are both negative and nitpickers. Sorry if that offends you, but it flat out IS true.
by twistedenglish77 on Dec 3, 2011 11:51 AM EST up reply actions
I'm not arguing the timing of the critique I'm arguing the validity of it.
Just because you don’t question something doesn’t mean that the people that do are negative nitpickers. Classic case of “you’re different than me you must be wrong.” It’s small minded. We are a fan base. We talk about our team. There are 22,000 assistant coaches at every game and about 300,000 more on the couch.
" Sorry if that offends you, but it flat out IS true. "
Difference between a fact and an opinion should be noted here.
by James Sutherland on Dec 3, 2011 12:44 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
You really think
you aren’t being negative and picky? You’re right, we do disagree on the nature of fact.
by twistedenglish77 on Dec 3, 2011 1:02 PM EST up reply actions
I did not say we have an efficient offense - however, yes you are negative if you're talking about that right now
with half our star power on the injury bench.
Let me resummarize my post with the lesson I teach to my children: Focus with positives to get to your goals. Dwell too much on negatives and be bound by them.
And frankly James, I think this is revealing a lack of basketball understanding on your part. My bottom line clearly aligns with CRP’s approach, and I deem his understanding more deep than yours.
I deem Rick’s understanding of basketball better than man but I do not concede to yours. I understand the game of basketball. Saying that I don’t know what I’m talking about because I approach something different than you is pretty self serving.
You focus your argument on player development and individual’s skill set improvements. I’m talking about our halfcourt offensive system which is cumbersome, and I am not negative or nitpicking for being passionate about the game of basketball and my team. I like to talk about basketball and I like to speculate on possibilities within the game.
We have our starting 5 for the foreseeable future on the floor right now, so your star power argument isn’t going far with me.
It’s cool that you are a positive person. I’m a half glass empty kind of guy sometimes. Those things do not affect the quality of love I have for my team.
Will we get better? Of course. That’s half the allure of Pitino coached teams, but I’m going to call it how I see it all along the way.
by James Sutherland on Dec 3, 2011 1:28 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
How can you possibly blame the coach for players just sort of standing there?
Louisville Cardinals
Governors Cup Champions 2011-3011
The only thing I have said is that our offense is not efficient.
Everything else are inferences you all are drawing and liberties being taken.
The answer to that question seem remarkably evident though.
by James Sutherland on Dec 3, 2011 1:58 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Chalk it up to a combination of
- passion
- irrationality
- expectation
- frustration
You only hurt the ones you love
Not a "TRUE" fan
I love Pitino. I love UofL.
That being said, we need to have a few more set plays for coming out of timeouts and out of bounds plays in order to get some easy buckets.
I actually like Rick’s philosophy of taking what the defense gives you, but last night for example, the defense was giving Peyton Siva open threes, which weren’t going in. You can say, “Well, Siva just needs to practice threes.” but I think we need to go back to the motion offense we saw against Notre Dame last year.
Motion creates open looks, open lanes, and good things happen when players have a plan on offense that is just as sophisticated as their matchup zone defense. These guys aren’t dumb. They have a number of different things they are supposed to do in their zone based on what they see the other team do. I’m obviously not as knowledgable about basketball as Pitino, but I think he should teach them a few more of these situational offensive techniques. In addition to their amazing defense, this team could be great.
However, I’m amazed at how this team seems to be able to flip a switch, like we did in OT and win the game after so many things weren’t going their way. Did anyone notice that the only field goal Vandy scored in OT was that first 3-pointer? All their other points came at the foul line. It was us who were forced to make play after play to win the game, and we executed when we needed to. Great finish! Go Cards!!!
by cardcorefan on Dec 3, 2011 12:06 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I disagree.
Our guys didn’t stand around, but the defense moved with them. Those guys were quick and athletic and they were in our jocks the whole night. we managed to work and get some open shots, but it was one of those nights when we couldn’t hit anything. Everybody has those nights; Pitino has always said he’s not going to get mad at you for missing shots, only for failing to get good shots. Last night, to the guys’ credit, they managed to squeak out a win despite their shooting woes. I’m proud of them.
"...and the present, for us, is something that we really look forward to."
- Rick Pitino
In my opinion, Gorgui was UNDER utilized in the offense in EVERY way EXCEPT setting screens.
Is it just me or does it seem that Gorgui is out of position at the top of the key 99% of the game setting screens?
GO! CARDS!
BEAT!
PURDUE!
Agree. The preferable situation would be to pass it to him in the post, if the defense does not react, he can take the short jumper/dunk and if they collapse to cover him, he kicks it out to the wing for the open 3.
I thought there were too many times last night that all 5 of our players were at or beyond the 3 point line. Nothing very good can happen from there.
by Carolina Cardinal on Dec 3, 2011 5:11 PM EST up reply actions
What worries me
is that Gorgui doesnt seem really confident on the offensive end. Maybe its just me but he just seems timid when under the basket and in a position to score.
As CS5 said. " Winning gets you where you want to go" If they make a deep run this year after the so called " bridge year" no one will question anything. If they get knocked out 1st or 2nd round get ready. Also need to be competitive year in and year out with your rivals…
Cards sit 7-0 !! ( Without Buckles, Blackshear, Ware, Justice, SVT, Marra) Incredible!!
Everyone is in the right place at the right time in my book !!
Go Cards !!
"....train is comin...I'm tellin ya...the train is comin.."
-Coach V. Bedford UofL DC-
My two cents
The majority of the credit has to go to Vandy’s defense. They played a great game offensively and defensively.
Offensively, despite CRP’s scouting report highlighting Jenkins and Taylor, they still dominated offensively by Stalling’s set plays getting them relatively open looks.
Defensively, despite inbounds plays being one of the Cards’ usual strengths, Vandy took that away. They also caused Louisville to turn the ball over 16 times and held them 41.7% FG percentage.
However, if you didn’t think that Louisville struggled offensively, you weren’t watching the same game I was. It was strikingly obvious that Louisville struggled offensively against Vandy after their stellar offensive showing against LBSU.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with chalking that up to injuries. But at the same time a 41.7% FG percentage is not that terrible. If you take out the 4-6 shooting in OT, however, that falls to 38.8%. Not great, but also not horrid.
If you compare that to the stellar offensive output against LBSU, where they shot 45.5% from the field, their offense against Vandy does not look as bad. 4 percentage points is not necessarily the difference between stellar and horrendous in my book.
That being said, the return of Buckles would seemingly steady the offensive ship. But I have absolutely no qualms with the Cards being a defensive juggernaut. They can shoot 15% from the field for all I care as long as they score one more point than their opponent.
Inbounds plays have to improve
Very sloppy so far this season.
by UL is my hot hot sex on Dec 3, 2011 9:52 PM EST up reply actions
Our basketball team is like our football was earlier this season and last season.
Not so great on offense right now, but the defense will keep them in ever game. I have no doubt that when we get more healthy players that we will see a change as with the football team this year.
I think it’s too early and we have too many injuries to really evaluate the abilities of our offense.
Pitino is what he has been
People kill me with all the negative Pitino Stuff. You can not like him for personal reasons but there is no denying the guy is a hell of a coach.
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